Perseverance Pays Off: NOAA Concept for Flood Plain Model To Hit Market  

Patrick Slattery
NOAA Communications and External Affairs

August 19, 2009 — Thanks to the determination of a National Weather Service hydrologist and a Michigan high school science teacher, Earth science students around the country will soon have access to a simple, portable and educational flood plain model.

A flood plain is a strip of relatively flat and normally dry land alongside a stream, river or lake that is covered by water during a flood. The model was created to help explain river hydrology and how changes in a watershed — the drainage basin that empties into a river or other body of water — can impact flood risk.

It all started back in 2006, when science teacher Dave Chapman at Okemos High School in Okemos, Mich., approached hydrologist Mark Walton of NOAA’s Grand Rapids weather forecast office about developing a more interactive approach to teaching students about flood risk and hydrology — the study of water movement distribution and quality throughout the Earth. Over the next six months, they worked together to develop a proposal that included flood management curriculum and specifications for a hands-on storm water-flood plain model.

With proposal in hand, the pair approached various water management agencies looking for help to make their plans a reality. Officials from the Michigan Stormwater-Floodplain Association liked what they saw. The association provided funds to build two prototypes.

“It took some persistence to convince someone to fund the first two prototypes,” Walton said. “Part of that was simply finding the right group. It had to be people who understood the many, complex variables that impact flooding and how changing conditions in a watershed, such as urbanization, impact flood risk.”

Walton and Chapman used the models whenever and wherever they found the opportunity: science shows, conferences, career days, water festivals and water management meetings. The model was demonstrated any place people gathered to discuss flooding and water management. Students, teachers, flood experts and water managers were all impressed.

During a demonstration at a May 14 Earth science teachers’ conference in Grand Rapids, Mich., another exhibitor, WARD’s Natural Science of Rochester, N.Y., took notice. WARD’s product development managers approached Chapman and Walton about partnering to mass produce the flood plain models. They reached an agreement quickly, and WARD’s is now producing the models under the name “WARD'S Stormwater Floodplain Simulation System.” The product is scheduled to hit the market this fall.

“The simulation model and curriculum guide provide teachers with defined activities and procedures that help students visualize the hazards of flooding,” Walton said. As an added bonus, 10 percent of the proceeds from each model sold go to the Michigan Stormwater-Floodplain Association Scholarship Fund.

“The National Weather Service [also] gets the satisfaction of knowing we helped provide a hydrologic education tool that will give thousands of students a better understanding of the causes of and the hazards associated with flooding,” Walton said.

But, he added, the benefits don’t end there.

“We’ve found this model is an effective teaching tool for more than students,” said Walton. “It’s a great tool for giving basic hydrology instruction to people in the water control and water management fields and for the general public.”

A Model For Flood Safety The stormwater-flood plain model is easy to use, portable and inexpensive; it comes with a teaching curriculum and experiments. The curriculum examines such topics as: The fate of rain; Why rivers flood; The importance and role of flood plains; NWS’s “Turn Around, Don’t Drown” public awareness campaign; Methods of protecting life and property from floods; and An exercise on how to create a flood-safe community.   The model allows students to experiment with three different scenarios for water runoff: a wetland, a parking lot and a stormwater retention pond. River levels are measured with an integrated water level gauge, and the flood plain can be modified by the addition of a levy or fill. The slope of the land and modeled rainfall intensity can be modified to show differing impacts. Educational experiments require students to measure the quantity rainfall and runoff, as well as the timing and crest of the river with various slopes, rainfall rates, headwaters and flood plain configurations. Students can use data from the experiments to develop charts that display the change of a hydrologic variable over time and to illustrate how changes in the watershed impact flood characteristics. For a video demonstration and more information about how to purchase WARD'S Stormwater Floodplain Simulation System, please visit: WARD'S Natural Science.